From Epic Mickey
The History
In 2006 Disney studios finally regained the rights back for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In addition to releasing the surviving shorts on DVD, Disney decided to debut the character in a video game called Epic Mickey.
In the game, disregarded concepts and older, less popular toons, are given new life as characters within the game.
Appropriately Clarabelle Cow is one of those characters. While not completely forgotten, Clarabelle never achieved the same level of fame as the sensational six. She also made her first apprence in the Oswald shorts as 'Bessie Bovine.'
In the game there are a few ice cream fetch quests where Mickey must find discarded ice cream and give them to particular characters in order to give them a happy ending. Clarabelle's ice cream cake subplot is considered one of the more memorable quests in the game. In it Clarabelle makes a frozen cake for Horace Horsecollar, using ice cream.
The Food
In the 1930s as iceboxes became replaced with freon refrigeration systems, commercial food producers tried to capitalize upon the new storage system with freezer recipes. Nabisco Cookies was one of those companies, and they released a recipe for an 'icebox cake' where you froze the cake instead of baking it.
Taking that orginal recipe of waffers and whipped cream, I've modified it into a cherry based version, considering how Clarabelle's cake is pink and has cherries on top.
Ingredients
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup cherry preserves
50 thin vanilla wafers
2 cups stemmed, pitted and halved sweet cherries, plus optional stem-on cherries for decorating
Cookware
9 inch pan
Parchment paper
Directions
Line a 9 inch pan with parchment paper. (Optionally you can grease the sides of the pan with non-stick cooking spray)
Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth. If using an electric whisk, beat for about 3 mins on medium.
Add to the cheese, heavy whipping cream, and cherry preserves.
Slowly mix untill everything is evenly combined and then pick up the pace. Beat at high speed untill mixture starts to form stiff peaks. If using an electric whisk this will take about 1 to 2 mins.
Spread a small layer of the cream mixture into the pan.
Lay cookies on top of that layer, and then add a layer of cherries.
Now add more cream and repeat the process of adding the cookies and cherries.
Keep repeating till done. You should get a good three to four layers.
Crumble remaining cookies on top and add whole cherries for garnish.
Cover the top of the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, and up to overnight.
Pull out of the icebox and cut when ready to serve.
Pro tip, you can run the knife under hot water first to get it warm, and that will cut through the cake easier.
We got one more recipe to go before we close out the Early Era for good, so join us next time when we talk about the sequel games and milkshakes.
